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Friday, February 28, 2014

Do
you want to know what activities there are at the library? You can go to our
website and see a listing of "Today's Events". Also our calendar is
listed on our website with activities for the month.

Got questions about your e-reader? Computer
Classes every Sat. mornings 10-12. "Open House" Whatever you need.
Drop in anytime during those two hours. We’ll help you with everything from how
to turn it off and on, to downloading ebooks or navigating your device.

Summer
Reading Program will be starting soon. Watch for announcements on that and
registration information. This is for ages Adults through young children! Come
Join Us and explore new worlds.

Have
you read “everything” we have? Come
check out our new book display, now in the Main Hallway for easy access.

Well, what do I know? In all actuality, not much! Yesterday we summarized
the DNA results that Ancestry gives you and how to navigate. One thing that surprised me as I was going
back and forth between writing the post and checking their webpage (gotta get
it right), I discovered the ‘green leaf’ was gone and in its place was an asterisk!
Okay, so maybe they changed or made an update.

When I got home and went on line (different
computer), the green leaf was back! So folks – just FYI – either way, the leaf
or the asterisk is what is most important in finding connections. I have no
idea what was going on, if it was computers, or lack of downloading the icon,
or who knows what. So, either way, whichever you find – this one is where you’ll
find the gold. I love it. Just last night I connected with two more cousins.

Next week we’ll start a whole new topic. Come see
what I can dig up this time. If you have something you would like to read
about, leave us a comment below.

“History is who we
are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in
the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide
to you is beneficial in anyway.

The male electorate in Lichtenstein refuses to give voting
rights to women.

1994

U.S. warplanes shoot down four Serb aircraft over Bosnia
in the first NATO use of force in the troubled area.

Born on February 28

1533

Michel de Montaigne, French moralist who created the
personal essay.

1820

John Tenniel,
illustrator of various books (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland).

1824

Charles Blondin, tightrope walker.

1894

Ben Hecht, writer.

1901

Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize-winning American chemist.

1909

Stephen Spender, English poet, critic.

1911

Denis Burkitt, British medical researcher.

1926

Svetlana Stalin, daughter of Josef Stalin.

John Tenniel

Word for the Day

palmer

PRONUNCIATION:

(PAH-muhr)

MEANING:

noun:

1.
A pilgrim.

2.
An itinerant monk.

3.
One who conceals a card or another object in a magic trick or in cheating in
a game.

ETYMOLOGY:

From
Latin palma (palm tree, palm of the hand). The name of the palm tree derives
from the resemblance of the shape of its frond to the palm of a hand. In
Medieval Europe, a pilgrim brought back a palm branch as a token of his
pilgrimage. Earliest documented use: 1300. Also see palmy & palmary.

USAGE:

"For
the profane palmer the tour might indeed have been little more than a grand
debauch, but for a devoted pilgrim like Jefferson it was something more."
Michael Knox Beran; Jefferson's Demons; Free Press; 2003.

"That was magic -- not the apparent magic of the silk-hatted card-palmer,
or the bold, brute trickery of the escape artist, but the genuine magic of
art."
Michael Chabon; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; Random House;
2000.

The
things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty,
understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And
those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism
and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality
of the first they love the produce of the second. -John Steinbeck, novelist,
Nobel laureate (1902-1968)

The original recipe from the Culinary Institute of America
called for both professional techniques and equipment and it made rather a
large amount. So we found an adaptation for a smaller batch at Seriouseats.com
where the author also explains the startling transformation that takes place
when two different fats are combined, in this case the cocoa butter in the
chocolate and the coconut oil. The term for this transformation is eutectics,
which basically results in that fantastic melt-in-your-mouth sensation that
makes meltaways so yummy. The Culinary
Institute of America's online recipe collection, by the way, offers
an extensive assortment of recipes suitable for nearly any occasion. The
original meltaway recipe is from the CIA's Chocolates
& Confections, 2nd Edition by Peter Greweling.

Cut a piece of waxed or parchment paper to line the bottom of
an 8"x8" baking pan, and set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering
water; or in the microwave in 10-second bursts. Add the salt and stir with a
flexible rubber spatula for about a minute to incorporate the salt.

Add the coconut oil to the warm chocolate and stir to
combine. (If the coconut oil is very cold, warm it briefly in the microwave.)

Add the extract and stir to combine; it will take 2-3 minutes
if the extract is alcohol-based, only a few stirs if it's oil-based. Pour into
the prepared pan and allow to set until firm, at least 3 hours.

When the mixture is set, dust the top with sifted
confectioner's sugar and invert onto a parchment- or waxed paper-lined cutting
board. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1" x 1/2" pieces. Dredge pieces
in confectioner's sugar.

These will keep in an airtight container at cool room
temperature or in the fridge for two weeks.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Do you want to know what activities there are at the library? You can go to our website and see a listing of "Today's Events". Also our calendar is listed on our website with activities for the month.

Got questions about your
e-reader? Computer Classes every Sat. mornings 10-12. "Open House"
Whatever you need. Drop in anytime during those two hours. We’ll help you with
everything from how to turn it off and on, to downloading ebooks or navigating
your device.

Summer Reading Program will be
starting soon. Watch for announcements on that and registration information.
This is for ages Adults through young children! Come Join Us and explore new worlds.

Have you read “everything”
we have? Come check out our new book display, now in the Main Hallway for easy
access.

DNA is a new and growing
aspect to genealogy. There are at least three places you can have this done:
Ancestry, 23andMe, and National Geographic. There probably are others, but
these are the primary ones. The costs range from $100 to over $600 (maybe even
more) depending on what you want tested.
From time to time you will see sales offered and you would be able to
get these cheaper. I chose Ancestry for my testing, more because of economics
and the fact that I have a tree on Ancestry. This is probably a selling point
for many people.

When you go with Ancestry,
you receive an email notice in about 2 months telling you the results are in.
From there you research it all on Ancestry.
The results vary from very general results to specific matches to other
people in Ancestry.

The Ethnic Estimate gives you
a general response, showing to what part of the world your DNA traces. Of course
broadly speaking there are not many choices – basically Europe, Africa or Asia.
In my case it was all Europe. But within that designation it does show what
countries, of varying degrees, is in your background. Here it may give you a
specific country or a broader designation. In my case it indicated Great
Britain with the largest percentage, the next largest was “West Europe” which
took in more than one country. The Ethnic Estimate has been a popular result
that Ancestry offers. In some cases I can imagine it might be a surprise what
it tells you, especially if it turns out to show a mixed race of which you were
not aware.

The other 'half' of the
results gives the Matches. Here you actually find a variety of things, but all
are within the matches Ancestry lists for you. One, of course, is the full list. It will start out with various levels of kinship, starting with the ones that are closest to you. These will all start with a blue dot which goes away when you've looked at it.

After you have looked at some and have clicked on the yellow star to track, then on this first page, called the DNA homepage, you can click on it and go straight to a list of just the “stars.”

The ‘High Confidence Matches’ are the ones where Ancestry has suggested you may be related. This list appears to have everyone that Ancestry believes there is a common ancestor. When I initially started this series of posts, Ancestry used a green leaf to
indicate a match to someone else. Now today, I see they have an asterisk
icon instead of a leaf. So I don’t know if this is a recent update, or
temporary change. But nevertheless, the results should be the same. This
list is probably the most valuable list.

When you go to the list of
matches there are even more ways to go through your list, with
indications/icons pertaining to the entries to help guide you through the list.
My results provided a few third cousins who are the closest related to me. Next
level was the 4th cousin level, and last was the 5th-8th
cousins. I’m sure this varies to some degree depending on the individual’s
situation. I assume there could be cases where siblings might even be found
using this method. Apparently, they do
not go beyond the 8th cousin level. But at that point you are 2-3
centuries back. Here, I would say even “shirt tail” relation doesn't
even apply. J

Regarding the icons, I see
today also, on an individual’s page, there is an “x” where you
can remove that entry from your list instead of a trashcan.

All in all this has been an
interesting experience for me and it is on-going. Today, I received a new
response from a possible cousin that I am anxious to pursue. So, let me
encourage you to try this and see what you can come up with on your genealogy
map! With genealogy, the fun never stops. Literally!

“History is who we
are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in
the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide
to you is beneficial in anyway.

"Today,
the editorial board of The Denver Post will go mano a mano with our colleagues
at The Seattle Times over which city is better."
It Just Wouldn't Be Fair to Bring These Things Up; Denver Post; Feb 2, 2014.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Every
man has his secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a
man cold when he is only sad. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

Line and
8-inch (20cm) square pan with plastic wrap. Combine whipping cream, butter and
fleur de sel in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set
aside.

In another
saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water and cook on high heat (without
stirring) until a candy thermometer reads 360°F (185°C) or mixture turns a dark
caramel color. This can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your
stove and the kind of saucepan you are using.

Remove from
the heat and, standing back in case mixture splatters, stir in cream mixture
with a long-handled spoon. Return saucepan to high heat and cook, stirring
constantly, until candy thermometer reaches 250°F (120°C). Remove from the
heat. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and
let set overnight.

Unmold caramel
from pan, peel off plastic wrap, and cut into desired shapes using a lightly
oiled knife. Place caramels on a tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone
mat. Using a fork, dip caramels into tempered chocolate and slide on another
tray lined with a silicone mat. Optionally while chocolate is still wet, finish
with a few grains of fleur de sel. Let set for about 4 hours, then store in an
airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Do
you have extra books at home and need to downsize? You can bring your donations
to the library or take them to the Used Friendly Books store. If there are
certain titles we are looking for, the book store helps us snag them when they
come in. By donating you can help us and you can help yourself.

Got questions about your
e-reader? Computer Classes every Sat. mornings 10-12. "Open House"
Whatever you need. Drop in anytime during those two hours. We’ll help you with
everything from how to turn it off and on, to downloading ebooks or navigating
your device.

Summer Reading Program will be
starting soon. Watch for announcements on that and registration information.
This is for ages Adults through young children! Come Join Us and explore new worlds.

Have you read “everything”
we have? Come check out our new book display, now in the Main Hallway for easy
access.

We’ve looking at DNA results on Ancestry and
learning how to navigate through the information. Today we are going to talk
about “the Green Leaf” and what it means for you.

You may have already discovered the little waving
leaf on some of your ancestors already, when Ancestry has found a potential
record that may be about your person. This same leaf is also used in the DNA
reports.

We talk yesterday about the List of Matches having
three icons at the top of the page that you can use as filters: Blue Dot,
Yellow Star, and Green Leaf! The Blue Dot as we mentioned before gives you a
list of only matches you haven’t looked at yet. The Yellow Star would list
those that you have marked by clicking on the star in each entry and turning it
yellow.

The Green Leaf is the one with the gold. Regardless
of what level of cousin it may be, the leaf indicates that Ancestry has found a
common ancestor between you and the person listed.

On the potential cousin's page, the ancestor will be listed at the top with your
line and the other person’s line going down parallel. Each are designated as to
what the relationship is to you: Self, (parent), (grandparent), back to the common
ancestor. The other line is marked as related to you: bottom one nearest could
be 8th cousin, then 7th cousin once removed, 6th
cousin, twice removed, etc back again to that common ancestor.

Below this diagram will be the other person’s
ancestor chart. What shows on the page may or may not list the common ancestor.
But you will see that each name is hyperlinked for further information. As you
experiment with this you will see how you can find additional information. This
way you will be able to go beyond the Pedigree Chart on the screen.

What I have found in some cases is that you or the
other person may have more information than the other. In this case you will
definitely want to contact them to see about sharing info. I had one line on my
dad’s side that I could not get past the wife who married into the family. I
was unable to find out anything about her own family, beyond that of her
father. Being on Ancestry alone has helped that line. One of my DNA matches
also has information, going back several generations.This is one thing you hope you do find through this means.It can possibly help you break through those
brick walls.

Another feature I have found useful is the ‘page’
icon. It looks like a dogeared page with a corner turned down. You have the
opportunity to make comments or write notes on each person’s page. You can
record what you connection is with this person, keep track of correspondence,
anything that you wish. And it is a large field that allows a lot of writing.
When you have made any comments on their page, then go back to the
list, you will see a page icon appear by their entry. As you scroll or hover of
each icon what you wrote will pop up. This way you can easily track the
information you recorded.

What I chose to do was enter the common line or
ancestor and what relation the match is to me: Kingsley/Adams, 8th
cousin, for example. The surnames refer to the husband’s name and the wife’s
maiden name. What I discovered as I went through these was I had several
matches in various lines. So for example, you could have 5 on the Bowers line,
3 on the Adams line, 4 on the Spear line, and possible one here and one there.
This does help you sort and track your matches. I thank Ancestry for having the
insight to allow a place where the user can add his own notes and comments.So in the end I received a ton of information for the price I paid to have the DNA tested. I am, even, learning and finding more bells and whistles as I play with this product. Maybe this will encourage you to try the same, if you haven't already. Gross as this may sound - get to spittin' and let the relatives roll in! It is quite exciting!

“History is who we
are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in
the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide
to you is beneficial in anyway.

He who
opens a school door, closes a prison. -Victor Hugo, poet, novelist, and
dramatist (1802-1885)

Today’s
Recipe

February
- Chocolate Lover’s Month

Peanut butter and chocolate are great partners and here they combine into a creamy confection similar to a peanut butter cup, though in appearance it resembles chocolate bark. It's too soft to eat at room temperature so keep and serve chilled.

Butter 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Line with waxed paper or parchment. Melt 1 lb. white chocolate with peanut butter in large bowl in the microwave at 1/2 power, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate and peanut mixture is melted and smooth. You want the mixture warm not hot.

Meanwhile, melt bittersweet chocolate in medium bowl in microwave on 1/2 power, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until 2/3 is melted. Take bowl out of microwave and stir until the rest of the chocolate is melted. You may have to put back in the microwave for a few seconds to get the last bit of chocolate melted but make sure you don't heat the chocolate too much. Set aside in a warm place.

Melt remaining 2 ounces of white chocolate in small bowl in microwave on 1/2 power, stopping and stirring every 10 seconds as white chocolate burns easily, until 2/3 is melted. Take out of microwave and stir until the rest of the white chocolate is melted. Again, you may have to put back in the microwave for a few seconds to get the last bit of chocolate melted but make sure you don't heat the chocolate too much. Set aside in a warm place.